Genesee County Health Department

Better Life Through Better Health

 PRESS RELEASE

Release Date:       For immediate release          Kill Date: 5/7/03

Contact Person:  Mary Hearst

                                 Community Health Analyst

                                 Genesee County Health Department

Phone:                   (810) 768-7970

RE:                          BOOK RECEPTION - - From Seeds to Stories:  The Community Garden Storytelling Project of Flint

From Seeds to Stories has Sprouted!

The Flint Urban Gardening and Land Use Corporation (FUGLUC), the Prevention Research Center of Michigan (PRC), and the Youth Violence Prevention Center (YVPC) are hosting a reception on May 6th launching their new book From Seeds to Stories: The Community Garden Storytelling Project of Flint .  The book features photos and stories from Flint 's community and school gardens, and is the result of over two years of work by the Flint Urban Gardening and Land Use Corporation Storytelling Committee.  The Storytelling Committee invites you to come listen to garden stories on May 6th at the Flint Public Library.  The book reception, held from 6-8 pm , is open to the public. 

With seeds, soil, and sweat, urban gardeners have been steadily working to improve the Flint community by transforming ugly and neglected vacant land into attractive and inviting gardens.  The From Seeds to Stories is a compilation of the Flint gardeners’ experiences. The stories document and highlight the new urban garden movement that is gaining in momentum and spreading throughout Flint .

Resident-initiated community gardens and beautification projects can play an important role in the restoration and revitalization of Flint , and in improving the health of the community.  In 2002, a collaborative research project by the University of Michigan, School of Public Health and the Flint Urban Gardening and Land Use Corporation found that the community gardens offer important opportunities for neighbors and children to meet, socialize and work together, produce food for neighbors, provide a positive activity for neighborhood children, and through their effects on neighborhood cohesiveness and monitoring, can be an important component of neighborhood crime prevention.  

The Genesee County Health Department, a key partner with both the Prevention Research Center of Michigan and the Youth Violence Prevention Center , is a strong supporter of community gardening efforts in Flint .  “Community gardens offer many health benefits for county residents, from providing fresh vegetables and opportunities for physical activity, to creating safe neighborhood places for children”, says Robert M. Pestronk, Health Officer of the Genesee County Health Department. “We are pleased to partner with organizations such as FUGLUC who are working toward our vision for Genesee County of ‘Better Life through Better Health.’”